The problem for many cities is that an area is designated in need of redevelopment but has difficulty attracting developers. The best way to advance a new project is to actually plan the potential business aspect of specific redevelopment uses, state the objectives, offer approvals, and hunt for a redeveloper. That’s what we do at LinX Redevelopment.

In the early days of LinX, I decided to try out my redevelopment theories in Passaic, New Jersey. It had seen relatively little redevelopment in the past 30 years, even though it is only 12 minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel (without rush hour traffic, of course) and situated next to Bergen County. In 2011, I met with the new city officials. We had a serious discussion about redevelopment in the area, and they were intrigued by my ideas.

I offered the services of the newly formed, non-profit LinX Redevelopment at no cost to the city. So strong was my belief in the soundness of my reasoning, I assumed the expenses for all environmental, engineering, architectural and planning fees in order to create a series of viable redevelopment projects. LinX Redevelopment appointed an executive director, Colin Leary, and established a Board of Trustees that includes: the eminent attorney, Joseph Hayden; one of the most seasoned New Jersey construction and code architects, Thomas McGinty; and a financial expert, Frank Seminara of Morgan Stanley. We were off and running.

You might ask why I decided to undertake this work. The answer is very simple. I love the challenge of redeveloping cities. I have the financial capability to do so, and, in my seventh decade, I want to end my career on a high note.

My father, Walter Barry, and I founded Applied Housing Development in the late 1960s. In those first years, we honed our skills in developing original affordable housing, creating housing for more than 2,500 low-income families. We began in Newark, and Hoboken, North Bergen, Bayonne, Weehawken and Trenton followed. The company was established in an era in which the cities of northeast New Jersey appeared to be beyond help. However, in the 1990s and early 2000s, Applied Housing Development, along with other local developers, worked to reinvigorate the area. We were an integral part of its rebirth, spearheading the building of dozens of major luxury and mixed-income redevelopment projects.

This commitment to provide affordable housing continued through the years and is now a cornerstone for LinX Redevelopment. Our intent is to offer our services to the cities in New Jersey to help assist in their economic growth and development.